https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/618-a-beetle-by-any-other-name/
"In a limestone cave deep in Central Slovenia, an unremarkable insect lives in
complete darkness. This tiny beetle, barely visible to the naked eye, has no
eyes and a brownish-yellow coloration—adaptations to a life spent entirely
underground. The beetle has survived for approximately two million years in
this harsh environment, yet in the past century, it gained notoriety for
reasons completely beyond its control: it was named after Adolf Hitler.
Anophthalmus hitleri, or “Hitler’s Beetle,” is at the center of a heated
debate currently raging in the typically cordial worlds of botany and zoology.
The controversy hinges on a fundamental question: Should we rename species that
were named after objectionable human beings? And even more broadly, should we
be naming organisms after people at all?"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
